I couldn't. [It's almost rueful, somewhere under the million other emotions. He still feels like he might just start crying in earnest.]
Even when I wanted to, I couldn't. You've never not deserved this. [Their first conversation had gone badly, their first port had gone badly, their first discussions about where to move forward and who was right and whether or not being here would do anyone any good had been near catastrophes, but it had still infuriated him to hear people writing Erik off as some sort of monster, or movie villain, and Erik had still come to his rescue when he'd woken up unable to breathe without an arc reactor stabilizing his heart.
And then there had been the Vanquish and the Overlook and the months it had taken him to feel anywhere close to normal after all that, Toshiko's breakdown, that other Barge, the time he'd been stabbed largely by accident and left to bleed out on the floor of some random cabin, plus the thousand other things they'd been through in the last two years.
Erik had always been there when he needed him to be. Erik had protected the kids, and the Barge, and done the right thing over and over and over again. Thank God this finally happened, because if he'd left before he'd reached this point, Charles is pretty sure he would have snapped.]
spam man charles make other faces
Even when I wanted to, I couldn't. You've never not deserved this. [Their first conversation had gone badly, their first port had gone badly, their first discussions about where to move forward and who was right and whether or not being here would do anyone any good had been near catastrophes, but it had still infuriated him to hear people writing Erik off as some sort of monster, or movie villain, and Erik had still come to his rescue when he'd woken up unable to breathe without an arc reactor stabilizing his heart.
And then there had been the Vanquish and the Overlook and the months it had taken him to feel anywhere close to normal after all that, Toshiko's breakdown, that other Barge, the time he'd been stabbed largely by accident and left to bleed out on the floor of some random cabin, plus the thousand other things they'd been through in the last two years.
Erik had always been there when he needed him to be. Erik had protected the kids, and the Barge, and done the right thing over and over and over again. Thank God this finally happened, because if he'd left before he'd reached this point, Charles is pretty sure he would have snapped.]